I may be partly responsible for this. I used my Kindle Keyboard exclusively for internet on a trip to china last month. (No other way of getting on). I even saw the exact moment they downgraded all the images through their proxy.

This could be open to abuse very easy, especially if you go on holiday abroad, and let Amazon pick up the bill for roaming internet charges.

You won't be able to download files, listen to music, watch video, have access to flash ... . Plus the use of the browser is quite awkward so I do not think many people would generate substantial traffic.
Unless you use tethering, which should be very easy to spot for an Amazon server, if they cared to watch for it (they definitely would once it got widespread).
Amazon has roaming agreements that are, I suspect, different from racketeering prices big telecos charge us - hapeless individual users.

On Kindle Touch, 3G browser access is limited to amazon.com and wikipedia.org. That said, I think it is totally worth paying for the 3G model (though I got mine for only $110 at Walmart).

It is not just for Kindle Store/library access: all of the internet-enabled reading features are available whenever 3G is (sync, Translate, wikipedia lookup, rate this book, report content error, Share). I use wikipedia lookup a lot (the article summary pops up just like dictionary definitions, no need to launch browser unless you want more than the summary). It's a pain to connect to wifi sometimes also, and KT will not connect at all to one wifi network that I spend a lot of time in.

On Kindle Touch, 3G browser access is limited to amazon.com and wikipedia.org. That said, I think it is totally worth paying for the 3G model (though I got mine for only $110 at Walmart).

Even a new kindle touch 3G can access any web page (unless a very recent update changed that) by using the "social networking" app, navigating to facebook, turning on article mode, and clicking a posted link to google. Then from google, "the world is your oyster". No jailbreak or hack needed.

For some reason, the youtube video showing this no longer exists. But there are written instructions using Twitter instead of Facebook here. I will not post a link, but you can use your Google skills if you are interested. The page in question claims they copied their instructions from a DELETED MobileRead page (even though it does not use any jailbreak hack or other modification).

The point is, you CAN access any web page if you know what options to select in the built-in kindle touch 3G menus. This has not been tested on the new 5.1.2 firmware, so perhaps they fixed it by now (or not).

Even without tethering, overseas use is expensive. I'm sure Amazon gets a good deal, but roaming on AT&T costs Joe Public $19.98 per MB. So Amazon is still giving you a service that would cost $1000/month at street prices. I know it sucks that they changed the rules, but it is still free data.

I just sent Amazon support an email about how unhappy I am to be punished for the actions of a few bad apples. I paid extra for my 3G Kindle and expect the service that was promised to me when I bought it. I have been planning on buying the new Kindle Fire when it comes out but now may get the Google Nexus instead just because I don't feel like supporting Amazon right now.

I just sent Amazon support an email about how unhappy I am to be punished for the actions of a few bad apples. I paid extra for my 3G Kindle and expect the service that was promised to me when I bought it.

Did they actually promise unlimited 3G browsing? I can't remember.

I've always looked at the whole browser as a feature that could go away since it's always been experimental.

I just sent Amazon support an email about how unhappy I am to be punished for the actions of a few bad apples. I paid extra for my 3G Kindle and expect the service that was promised to me when I bought it. I have been planning on buying the new Kindle Fire when it comes out but now may get the Google Nexus instead just because I don't feel like supporting Amazon right now.

I don't recall Amazon ever saying the 3G was intended to allow you to Pay your bills and check email while travelling half way round the world, or at the nearest coffee shop.

I really struggle to understand how anybody can believe that paying a onetime $50 upgrade to get a 3G ereader somehow entitles them to unlimited global data for life.

For the record, I own a 3G Kindle with keyboard, and I don't feel hard dome by. If you think you'll get better customer Service from Google, then go for it.

And 50MB/month is still useful for EMERGENCY web access, for checking email and such (without images). It will certainly put a damper on the folks doing the tethered access though.

It is irritating that a few people pissing in the punch spoils it for everybody though. It is called "tragedy of the commons" and it is all too common, unfortunately.

Rather than pissing and moaning to amazon, we should THANK them that they still allow 50MB/month of unrestricted access, instead of locking it all down to a few websites like they do with the newer kindles. Also, they did not impose this data cap when used in the USA (yet).